Optimization of Pump Turbine Closing Operation to Minimize Water Hammer and Pulsating Pressures During Load Rejection

Jiawei Ye, Wei Zeng, Zhigao Zhao, Jiebin Yang and Jiandong Yang
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Jiawei Ye: State Key Laboratory of Water Resources and Hydropower Engineering Science, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
Wei Zeng: School of Civil, Environmental & Mining Engineering, the University of Adelaide, Adelaide SA 5005, Australia
Zhigao Zhao: State Key Laboratory of Water Resources and Hydropower Engineering Science, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
Jiebin Yang: State Key Laboratory of Water Resources and Hydropower Engineering Science, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
Jiandong Yang: State Key Laboratory of Water Resources and Hydropower Engineering Science, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China

Energies, 2020, vol. 13, issue 4, 1-18

Abstract: In load rejection transitional processes in pumped-storage plants (PSPs), the process of closing pump turbines, including guide vane (GVCS) and ball valve closing schemes (BVCS), is crucial for controlling pulsating pressures and water hammer. Extreme pressures generated during the load rejection process may result in fatigue damage to turbines, and cracks or even bursts in the penstocks. In this study, the closing schemes for pump turbine guide vanes and ball valves are optimized to minimize water hammer and pulsating pressures. A model is first developed to simulate water hammer pressures and to estimate pulsating pressures at the spiral case and draft tube of a pump turbine. This is combined with genetic algorithms (GA) or non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm II (NSGA-II) to realize single- or multi-objective optimizations. To increase the applicability of the optimized result to different scenarios, the optimization model is further extended by considering two different load-rejection scenarios: full load-rejection of one pump versus two pump turbines, simultaneously. The fuzzy membership degree method provides the best compromise solution for the attained Pareto solutions set in the multi-objective optimization. Employing these optimization models, robust closing schemes can be developed for guide vanes and ball valves under various design requirements.

Keywords: pumped-storage power plant; pump turbine; hydraulic transient; pulsating pressure; evolutionary algorithm; fuzzy membership degree (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (8)

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